Tuesday, December 29, 2009

This feisty monkey fights off crows that perch on a tree outside Lavender MRT Station almost everyday.

The monkey probably does this in an attempt to prevent the birds from invading its personal space atop the tree.

STOMPer Koh, who witnessed this scene, says:

"Chinese Kung Fu in urban jungle.

"Who needs Jackie Chan?

"Watch this live scene re-enacted day after day.

"The monkey fights off crows in the tree outside Lavender MRT Station almost everyday."

This is another interesting record of a long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) in an urban area.

It seems that more and more monkeys are being seen in urban neighbourhoods far from their strongholds in the Central Nature Reserves. Is this a sign that our forests have reached their carrying capacity, forcing troops to disperse out of the forests in order to establish new territories? Or is this just a simple wanderlust, with young individuals venturing out on their own before returning to their troops? It would be interesting to look into this, and see if these forays into urban areas are temporary sojourns, or whether it's a sign that we will be seeing more monkeys taking up residence in neighbourhood parks and gardens.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

STOMPer Seafarer spotted a bunch of kids collecting mussels and clams at the beach at Kranji Reservoir and feels that exposing them to nature, will help them learn to appreciate it.

Says this STOMPer:

"These pictures were taken at the Kranji Reservoir Park at Kranji Way.

"This family was camping at the park during the weekend. The children enjoyed collecting black mussels and clams at the beach at low tide.

"If children are exposed to the sea at a young age, they would learn to love the sea and outdoor life.

"The view of Johor Bahru with its tall towers from the park.

"Some the bivalves like clams (Marcia marmorata) are washed ashore at low tide."

Indeed, it is vital that children receive early exposure to the outdoors. It is tragic that so many people in Singapore remain disengaged and out of touch with nature, unaware and oblivious to the fact that we sit right smack in a hotspot for biodiversity.

Writer Richard Louv has coined the term Nature deficit disorder to describe this growing phenomenon, where youths prefer to spend time indoors, instead of running around outside and getting acquainted with the little slice of nature that can be found in most neighbourhoods.

Technology is partly responsible; with the Internet, video games, television, and so many other distractions, children are far more likely to spend their free time watching a screen. An increasingly demanding school curriculum and overprotective parents also play an important role in limiting access to the outdoors. Many of us in the older generations bemoan the decline of many childhood activities, from climbing trees, to skulking around in the bushes looking for fighting spiders (Thiania bhamoensis), to catching tadpoles and small fish in streams and drains. With this lack of exposure to running around barefoot on the grass, discovering the multitude of other lifeforms that share our world, what hope is there for our wild places? Are we raising a generation overly dependent on air-conditioning, that demands more and more space be reserved for theme parks and shopping centres?

Instilling an appreciation and love for nature does not require excessive amounts of time and money. Many of our nature areas are easily accessible, and entrance to our parks and gardens is free. One does not need to organise a day-long excursion to Bukit Timah or Sungei Buloh; an afternoon spent in the neighbourhood park is often enough to gain some awareness of the diversity of life that lives around us. There's always a wide variety of upcoming activities up on the Wild Happenings in Singapore blog, catering to people of all ages.

On a personal note, I find that I have this need for what I like to call nature therapy, dedicating a few hours to walking around outdoors with my camera along the beach or in a park, keeping an eye out for interesting sights, and ruminating on various nature and wildlife-related topics. It's very therapeutic and calming, especially when done alone. But it's even more fulfilling to be sharing thoughts and experiences with like-minded people, or to be out guiding, helping others gain some insight into the need for some places to remain just that bit wild and untamed.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

We have seen monkeys roaming residential areas, but this monkey is a little more adventurous -- it was seen in the CBD, climbing up Equity Plaza.

A STOMPer saw the monkey when she came into her office on the 15th floor of the adjacent Republic Plaza at about 9.15am today (Dec 10).

She said:

"I came in and saw the monkey climbing up the cable used by the gondola lift for cleaning the building windows.

"Then my colleagues started screaming 'Monkey! Monkey'.

"At first we thought it was going to fall off the cable, but it rested on the ledge of the 26th floor of Equity Plaza."

When STOMP contacted the STOMPer at 10.15am, she said the monkey was still 'stuck' on the ledge.

She said she called the AVA, and they said that they were sending their officers down to rescue the monkey.

She also informed the building management, but was asked if the monkey was the 'animal' type, and whether it was a baboon.

It certainly is a very interesting place to encounter a long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis). I wonder where it came from, since the nearest extensive patch of vegetation that conceivably contains a macaque population would be Mount Faber Park.

There seem to be a lot of reports of macaques popping up in places all over Singapore. I wonder if monkeys are using our networks of parks and roadside trees as green corridors, and dispersing out of their strongholds in the larger forested areas. True, many of the sightings are of lone individuals or small bands, but I wonder if it is possible that some of these wandering monkeys may eventually establish resident populations in our neighbourhoods and town centres. Which will raise a lot of issues regarding coexistence with wildlife, and hopefully, when the time comes, we will be able to take an enlightened stance towards sharing our living and recreational spaces with other species, one that avoids knee-jerk reactions and unnecessary culling.

Pasir Ris Park;

Changi Village;

For most people living in Singapore, the long-tailed macaque is the species that comes to mind when monkeys are mentioned. However, there is another species of monkey that inhabits our forests, the banded leaf monkey (Presbytis femoralis).

Unlike the long-tailed macaque, which spends a lot of time foraging on the ground, the banded leaf monkey is wholly arboreal. Also, while the long-tailed macaque is an opportunistic omnivore, the banded leaf monkey is predominantly vegetarian, and feeds mostly on young leaves and fruit.

(Photo by hiker1974)

Another difference between the 2 species is with regards to the ability of these primates to adapt to living in urban Singapore. While the long-tailed macaque seems to be doing quite well, and can be commonly encountered in many of our nature areas, the banded leaf monkey has not been so fortunate. While it was once found across large areas of the island, it has experienced a calamitous decline; only a small troop of around 20 survives in the Central Catchment Area. Sightings are sporadic, and even though they live in a protected area, it is always possible that the banded leaf monkey has already passed the point of no return, and that inbreeding will eventually doom this species to local extinction.

(Photo by hiker1974)

A troop used to be present in the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, but eventually dwindled away. The last survivor from this group, an elderly female, climbed down a tree in October 1987 and was killed by a pack of dogs. She now resides in the public gallery of the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research (RMBR), bearing silent testimony to the threats that imperil our wildlife.

A third species of monkey used to be found in Singapore, the southern pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina). However, it is now considered to be extinct locally, probably a victim of deforestation and the persecution that must have occurred when these monkeys began raiding crops.

Southern pig-tailed macaques are tamed in many parts of Southeast Asia, and used to pluck coconuts.

(Photo by Giacomo-Giggio)

Southern pig-tailed macaques are featured at the Sentosa Animal & Bird Encounters, where you can also have your photo taken with a monkey.

(Photo by Robert Nyman)I definitely would not recommend trying to replicate this photo with a wild long-tailed macaque.

It certainly is quite puzzling that this species died out while the long-tailed macaque survived; it seems that both species are quite adaptable and capable of living in agricultural areas.

Having said that, I wonder what happened to this particular monkey that had gotten itself stranded in the middle of the Central Business District. Was it eventually caught by Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) officers, or did it escape and run off elsewhere? And if caught, what happened to it in the end? As far as I know, nuisance monkeys caught by the AVA are subsequently euthanised, as relocation is typically not a viable option.

Perhaps, with more and more of these macaques moving into our residential, commercial, and recreational areas, it is time we looked at how we can learn to live alongside them, and minimise conflict. I won't be surprised if these urban monkeys learn to exploit litter and rubbish bins as a food resource, and for all you know, there will most likely be well-meaning but misguided people out there deliberately feeding them. There will be others calling for the monkeys to be removed, when they start raiding homes or threatening the safety of people. But I believe that there are ways to overcome such mentalities, and I try to be optimistic in hoping that more people will learn to share their neighbourhoods with monkeys, and keep a respectful distance. Hopefully, more can be done to encourage a peaceful coexistence between the 2 species of primate, one that would pave the way for a greater sensitivity towards wildlife and greater ecological awareness.

On the other hand, pigeons can leave an unsightly mess in areas where they congregate; their droppings can present some health risks, although the threat has been exaggerated. Perhaps the whole reason why we treat feral pigeons with such disdain is because they are so conspicuous in their ability to flourish and succeed in spite of, or rather, because of us. In a time when 12% of bird species are thought to be globally threatened, the rock pigeon is 1 of those that is at no risk of becoming endangered. It does so well in our urban landscapes, filling an empty niche in a barren habitat inhospitable to most other birds. Perhaps we dislike pigeons so much because like rats, cockroaches, and houseflies, they have proven themselves all too capable of living in our midst.

Personally, I for one would find it really thrilling if our feral pigeon population helped attract peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) to settle and breed in urban Singapore. Our peregrine falcons are mostly migrants from the subspecies japonensis, which breeds in temperate Asia. There is an increasing number of sightings in urban areas, and it is likely that not only do the buildings provide excellent roosting sites and vantage points to look for prey, but the high population of birds such as feral pigeons and mynas (Acridotheres sp.) is almost definitely another draw.

Besides the migrants, there are also occasional records of peregrine falcons in the non-winter months. These are suspected to be wanderers belonging to the Southeast Asian race ernesti, of which there are resident breeding populations in Malaysia. So far, these falcons do not seem to linger for very long, although I harbour a stronge hope that one day, these falcons will eventually establish breeding populations here in Singapore, and add another very interesting element to our urban avifauna.

Monday, December 7, 2009

STOMPer Selvam's motorcycle was one of the bikes under this fallen tree, but luckily for him, there was no damage to his vehicle. Two other riders were not so lucky and their bikes were slightly damaged, said the STOMPer.

The tree fell yesterday (Dec 6) afternoon. "There was no rain, but strong winds," said the STOMPer.

The tree has been removed.

In his email report:

"Nice picture of a fallen tree at Pasir Ris. Almost all the bikes are affected."